After the Curtain Falls
by The Princess of Pain
Summary: Post-Labyrinth. Jareth is in a state of depression after Sarah's rejection. Why didn't she accept his proposal? Why did Hoggle so quickly betray his king? Also, the citizens of the Labyrinth take a trip down memory lane. WARNING! PLOT! LOTS AND LOTS OF PLOT! AND SIDETRACKING! BUT IT'S ALL RELATED, I SWEAR! SarahxJareth and HogglexOC
1. Cassius's Lagacy and Mourning

Chapter 1: Cassius' Legacy and Mourning

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth.**

 _Poor fae_ , the citizens of the Labyrinth whispered amongst themselves, everyone from the milkmaid to the pixies were speaking about the king.

His marriage proposal had been rejected. _Oh, Sarah…. Why?_ He wondered.

He had done what was proper. Grant her wish, take the child. He didn't understand why she was so sad, so hurt that the screaming baby was gone. He did something he should never do; He reversed the rules.

 _"You have thirteen hours to solve the Labyrinth before your baby brother becomes one of us…Forever." He had emphasized, brushing his lips against her ear. She had shivered before pulling back, her face determination. Such beauty, he thought before sighing. He summoned a spell to bring him to the castle as his last words echoed in the air. "Such a pity…"_

He supposed he understood why she was so determined to get Toby back after spending an hour or two with the tyke. He was so bright, and Jareth felt bad for taking him. However, he realized that his Sarah was also forgiving as well as fiery, and he hoped when the time came she would forgive him too.

That hadn't happened. With the help of his own people she had won the Labyrinth. He didn't know why they betrayed him.

Hoggle hadn't understood. He as a Dwarf didn't court the same way (Hoggle would say simpler, while Jareth would say more barbaric) and believed he had been cruel to the girl. As a citizen of his Labyrinth who had been around since the last kings reign, he understood Hoggle's betrayal, really, he did. For the dear reader to understand, they must understand this;

Jareth was a good king. Really, he was. The past king Cassius however, was a vain man, caring not for his subjects. He was unfair to his people, making them slave away to make the Labyrinth as beautiful as his vision. He nearly wiped the Lich extinct, sealed the false alarms and oubliettes away, and often beat the goblins when they accidently brushed against his clothes, claiming they were too fine for such ugly things. Yes, the time of Cassius was a terrible time indeed, and it would have no doubt been longer had a fed up half-fae named Yvonne not poisoned his tea. She was executed of course, but everyone in the Labyrinth was in tears that day when her last words were not to the Kings family, but the citizens of the maze.

"Please. Take care of my brother." She had begged.

Then the executer swung his axe, and that was the end of that. The brother of Yvonne became the rightful king by way of concession since she had no parents or other kin aside from the young fae. He was a mere 500-year-old, merely a child in the eyes of many and many feared he would be like Cassius. For 30 years' time passed like that, until one day an old trash woman spilled her trade at his feet. The trash covered his shiny black boots, covering them and his pants in garbage. Everyone held their breath, awaiting his response. This was the true test, to see if he was really like Cassius, or nothing like his predecessor.

"Are you alright, Madam?" He had asked her, concern (actual concern in his voice!) clear in his voice. The shaking woman nodded, and expressed her condolences in an equally shaky voice before kneeling. The new king laughed it off and helped her up. The rest of the square was shocked. The king touching who he thought was a mere peasant?

Little did Jareth know that that trash woman was known throughout the Labyrinth as one of the wisest creatures around. Priety was her name and she knew that in that moment, a kinder king there could never be. She gave him a gap-toothed smile and a pretty trinket (a spinning figure of a faceless girl falling through a room full of stairs.) and sent him on his way. The second he left, all the goblins, elves, dwarves, faeries, and other creatures gathered around her, eager to hear her word and spread her judgement. She smiled again, as her words filled the breathless square.

"Long live the King." She said softly, inclining her head to the receding form of the new goblin king. And the citizens of the Labyrinth knew then, that they were in good hands.

 _A/N: Review, let me know what you thought. PM me if you have questions._

 _I am, therefore I spread,_

 _Pain_


	2. Sewyn

Chapter 2: Sewyn

 **Warning: Alludes to non-con and character death.**

So now you understand why the kingdom was so hesitant to trust Jareth. However, over the 12,986 years, most of them had learned he was indeed a good man, just as the late Priety declared…Hoggle was not one of those people. Now, let us examine Hoggle's life before Jareth:

 _Born into Cassius' service, he was treated much like the others in his position as staff. Beaten, whipped, chained and flogged. You name it, Hoggle had it done. Now Hoggle didn't know why Cassius hated him so much, but the man taught him one thing. Love is weakness. How was this painful lesson inflicted upon poor Hoggle?  
It came in the form of an elf named Sewyn. She was beautiful (as per typical with elves), with eyes reminiscent of honey and hair the color of milk. But Hoggle didn't love her because she was pretty. No, Hoggle fell in love with her because Sewyn was kind. She helped him after his sessions with Cassius, her presence a balm to his loneliness. Her kiss cooling the cuts on his skin, as she gently healed him and glamoured him, so it still looked like he was hurt. She was his angel. And Cassius killed her._

 _It had been a normal day in the castle. After a whipping by one of Cassius' guards, Hoggle had been searching frantically for Sewyn, recalling the leer Cassius oft sent her. It was a general rule that the servants traveled in threes, just in case Cassius had not found someone not able to suit his needs and simply grabbed one of the castle girls (whether they moaned or screamed made no difference to him, for in his eyes he was god). But that day no one had traveled with Sewyn because she was waiting for Hoggle. And now she was missing? Hoggle wasn't stupid. But he had hoped she would never be forced to service Cassius._

 _He found her in Cassius' chamber's. Her clothes were shredded and she had tear tracks down her face while curled into a ball on the king's bed. On the other side of the room sat Cassius, his face calm as he redressed. Hoggle wanted to hurt, to main and kill Cassius, but he knew that at that moment Sewyn needed him. So, he ran to her._

 _"Not…fault… Love… Hoggle." She muttered, her face bloody and her petticoats soiled. Her dress was torn open and whip marks adorned her back, each looking more painful than the last. Cassius laughed and ran his hand ever so gently down her back, laughing at her screams. Hoggle's knees hit the castle floor as he bowed his head and did the one thing that might possibly spare his love._

 _"Please, My King. Have mercy." He begged, his face pale as he clasped his hands._

 _"I do quite like you begging, Hogwash. Do it again." He sneered, kicking his heeled foot into Hoggle's bent knees. He fell to the ground, and tried to get up only for Cassius to grab Sewyn by her hair and hold his favorite weapon to her throat; his sharpened pendant._

 _"Please. Free her, My liege." He begged again, his knees aching. Cassius gave him a smile and went to release her. Sewyn reached out, and Hoggle reached back, but before their hands could touch the king slit her throat. A muted sound rose from her lips, and she fell to the ground._

 _Hoggle followed suit, holding his hands over her throat, looking around for something, anything to staunch the blood flow. He stood, ready to run out the room when a hand on his shoulder stopped him._

 _"Listen to me, Heggle." Cassius whispered snidely in his ear. He could hear Sewyn choking and could do nothing but listen to this tyrant," I will tell you this once. Sewyn was weak. You are weak. Your love is weak. All love is weakness. You cannot save her." He continued, each of his words a dagger in Hoggle's heart. Hoggle tried to get away from him, and didn't even see the fist coming towards his face. He fell to the ground, his head hitting the hard ground. The last thing he saw before everything faded to black, was Sewyn's lifeless amber eyes._

 _Later, he found out from the other servants that Cassius had had her body burned while he was unconscious._

So Hoggle's resentment for Jareth, while unfounded was understood, should someone consider his past. For years after that Hoggle did not open his heart. And even though the monstrous former king was gone, he still saw him in Jareth. The way he forgot his name (in a kingdom, one is bound to forget at least one name. Plus, the goblins often called him by many different names, confusing the new king), in his position (Jareth had heard Dwarf's liked nature, and thought perhaps that the only Dwarf in the castle might like gardening the outer walls of the Labyrinth rather then being cooped up in the castle), and his mannerisms (confidence clear in his aura, just like Cassius) were the same as the last king's.

Jareth could fool everyone else into thinking he was a good king, but not Hoggle. Hoggle wasn't stupid. And he would not let another innocent girl fall prey to the Labyrinth's kings promise of glamour should she submit (12,986 years of peace but Hoggle would never forget). Jareth and Cassius were cut from the same cloth, in Hoggle's opinion. And he would not lose another friend to another king's cruelty. Not again.

 _A/N: So I gave Hoggle a girlfriend. Then I killed her…I promise this is not just death for fun. All this ties in later. Everything connects, as the pieces fall into place. Cassius did a lot of damage. Ludo and Didymus' reason's and losses will be soon revealed. I hope this makes sense. And yes, we will see Sarah again, as well as Hoggle realizing maybe Jareth isn't as alike to Cassius as he thought. Please let me know what you thought. This is getting a lot darker then I thought. But Jareth is a good king. Circumstance is just a bitch. Don't hesitate to PM me if you have questions. Anyways, Merry Christmas!_

 _I am, therefore I spread,_

 _Pain_

 ** _Next up: Ludo had family once. Family gone. Taken. Ludo Sad. King bad. Sawah friend. Also, another look at Sarah through Jareth's eyes._**


	3. The Genocide of the Grundy's

Chapter 3: The Genocide Of The Grundy's

He didn't like to remember. The memories hurt so much, almost too much. The pain in many ways was unbearable. But it was also the only thing he had left of his parents. When he remembered he felt them, felt their love for him even if it was tinged with fear. So it was that he, the last of his kind every night sat at the lake he lived near and looked at his own reflection before reaching a clawed hand out and barely touching the surface. And then, watching as the water no longer reflect the future but instead the past, he remembered.

 _He always remembered the fire first. Angry and red, it snapped at him and singed his fur. It burned, and Ludo cried out for his mother and father. They came, his mother picking him up and garbling something in a lost language he didn't remember (Fae, Dwarfin, Elfish, Pixie, and human he was all well versed, but no one could teach him to understand a language they too had forgot). There were screams outside the modest clay house they lived in, and his father touched his mother's cheek and kissed his head before saying something to his mother and ran outside. Ludo remembered trying to get out of his mother's arms to find his father. He didn't succeed and had started to cry. His mother had tried to shush him to no avail, and at hearing man screams through the entrance of their home, she too started to cry._

 _His mother shushed him before pulling something from the air. She whispered into it, and a voice responded clearly in Elfish._

 _"Of course, Yaeti! Come quick, before Cassius and his pets get you! The portal is open. But what about Yeren?" The female voice asked her. His mother responded and then moved forward as a shimmering door appeared before them. A sudden voice rang out just as her hand closed over the doorknob._

 _"Stop, fowl beast!" A man (clearly Fae) cried out, and Ludo turned to see a blonde man with the color of death and cruelty surrounding him like a cloak. He wore a crown upon his head and held a sharp sword in his one hand and a spear in the other. Ludo let out a sob and clung tighter to his mother. His mother held him up, and like his father pressed a kiss to his forehead before wrenching open the door and throwing him through. Just before the door fully closed he saw a spear go through his mother's chest. The door closed, and disappeared. Ludo realized after looking blankly at the place the door once was that his mother was dead. His father was likely dead as well. Sitting in the darkness, he sat down and began to cry. He didn't even notice all the rocks rolling towards him, curious about him, and concerned._

The images faded, his young tear-stained face now replaced with his present one. He turned away from the lake, covering his face with his hands. Gone. The Fae his mother had been speaking with never came for him. Ludo assumed she lost the connection and assumed that both him and his mother were dead. For so long he had been alone, with just this lake and the painful memories of the past. He had his friends the rocks, but it wasn't the same. Ludo thinks they knew that though, knew they couldn't be the family that he wished he had.

Alone with nothing but his friends that couldn't speak, memories that hurt to and hatred towards a Fae with a crown. Then one day it all changed. A small army of Goblins came to take him in, shooting him full of something that made him tired. He awoke to bites on his body and thought he would die then.

But then a miracle happened. Sarah came, and suddenly Ludo had a family again. Although Sarah was gone, Hoggle and Didymus were good brothers. And although for a long time it seemed he was never going to have that again, he had never been so glad to be wrong.

 **At the castle…**

Jareth walked the halls, silent as the night cast shadows in the castle. The Goblins didn't venture out at night, too scared of their own silhouettes to come out. The Servants wouldn't dare go near him, for fear that getting his heart broken had turned him into a callous man like the king before. He stopped before the empty ballroom, the glittery covered floors shining in the moonlight.

 _He smiled at Sarah, before moving away from her. Her eyes twinkled, and she drew herself up before moving towards him. He smiled and held out a hand before vanishing into the crowd, catching sight of her confused face. He used his magic to teasingly run an invisible hand across one of her bare shoulders, causing her to turn. She visibly deflated at seeing him entangled with two masked women. She turned, and he pushed himself away from their wondering hands, teleporting himself in front of her. Holding his hand out, this time she took it. He gave her a gentle smile before sweeping her into his arms._

 _Spinning, and dancing, and singing too. She visibly grew more nervous though, and he didn't know how to ease her worries, so he kept singing about his love for her. The chiming of the clock made her head snap towards it, and she tore herself out of his arms. She ran away, and he reached out to her… He reached out…_

Jareth swayed in his place, reaching out for the girl in white. Spots dancing before his eyes and he could hear her and as he passed out he swore he saw his Sarah's beautiful green eyes looking at him cruelly.

"Your eyes can be so cruel." He whispered to the phantom as his eyes closed. "Precious…"

And Sarah woke up in her bed, her heart aching.

 _A/N: Okay, so Ludo is an empath, with a semi-simplistic mindset. Remember that. It's important. Part three. Poor Ludo, last of his kind. Kind of makes sense though, huh? Maybe that's why the goblin fiends in the maze were torturing him. Follower's of Cassius. Ludo can't tell the difference between kings, as he wasn't very old when all the other Grundy's died. Please review, I really love hearing people's thoughts. I accept criticism. PM me if you have any questions, yeah?  
I am, therefore I spread,_

 _Pain_

 ** _Next Chapter: Sarah keeps having strange dreams about the Goblin King. Is it real? And who is the young girl who appears, begging Sarah to save her brother? Meanwhile Jareth is getting worse, and no one knows why. And trouble is brewing in the center of the Labyrinth._**


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